For the third time, The Walking Dead comic scribe Robert Kirkman has flung another lawsuit at AMC, this time for breach of contract.
AMC and Robert Kirkman are again at each other’s throats for round three of litigation, with another lawsuit levied at the channel. The named plaintiffs listed on the weighty 19-page court document also include Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, Charles Eglee, and Glen Mazzara. The overall action is a breach of contract suit to the tune of $200 million, and the previous lawsuit from 2017 has seemingly settled with AMC as the victor, according to THWR at the time.
While the 2017 court decision resulted in the judge finding The Walking Dead station AMC in the right, with a ruling of ‘all contracts have been paid by AMC,’ it’s a little bewildering that another like-minded lawsuit from the same plaintiffs would make another appearance. While there is no doubt The Walking Dead was a massive financial success for AMC, the newest lawsuit in the saga aims to rectify Robert Kirkman and co.’s petition to make them whole essentially.
The basis of the suit lists a previous lawsuit settlement paid to Frank Darabont and CAA of $200 million that AMC publicly disclosed, and this new action aims to procure the same funds for the plaintiffs. The suit states:
Despite its obligation to provide Plaintiffs with the same level of compensation attributable
– Legal Complaint obtained by Deadline
to Darabont’s MAGR interest, AMC has refused to do so . To add insult to injury, AMC has charged costs attributable to the Darabont Settlement against the amounts payable on Plaintiffs’ profit participation statements, establishing that the amounts payable to Darabont as part of the settlement were part of his compensation with respect to his services.
Overall, the new action filed by The Walking Dead creator seems to be an attempt to procure funds listed on alleged contract inclusions, which conveniently piggybacks off of a prior lawsuit AMC settled with Darabont for $200 million as the basis of what is requested by the plaintiffs.
This legal battle will likely not end soon as it makes its way through the court system, and fans should keep an eye out for more info as it is released during the legal fray between Robert Kirkman and AMC.
